Travel Snacks

After traveling a lot in my 30-something years of life, the one thing that I feel like I’m an expert in would be travel snacks. Will it melt? Will it get soggy? Will it get crumbly? Will my child eat it?

I’m not always sure what she will eat, so goldfish, pretzels and cheerios will be added just in case.

For starters, cookies are always a great idea. My absolute favorite travel cookie is the classic no-bake cookie. My southern Baptist grandmother always called them “preacher cookies” because you never knew when the preacher would visit and you might need to make some fast to serve him or her.

I’ve also heard them called “cow patties.” But the name that I like most is “fried porcupines.” My friend, Shannon from Mississippi, called them that, or porcupines for short.

This cookie reminds me of a long bus ride with her from Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania to Nairobi, Kenya. Friends on the trip made this cookie and shared with us, and it tasted like heaven after eating mostly only beans, rice, greens and mango for 3 months.

No Bake Cookies

1 1/2 cups sugar

4 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup milk

3 cups whole rolled oats

1 Tbsp. vanilla

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

Bring the first four ingredients to a rolling boil for two minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the last three ingredients. After stitting for a few minutes, drop the cookies on wax paper to cool and harden.

I have also made and loved the black bean chocolate chili cherry cookie found here, along with this carrot cake cookie. Both are healthy and delicious!

Another really easy recipe to take on the road are date bites. They could be made with any nuts (peanuts, almonds, pecans, walnuts, etc.)

Date Bites

1 cup pitted medjool dates

1/2 cup nuts

1 tsp. kosher salt

Just blend in the food processor and use wet hands to roll them into bites.

Popcorn, apples, nut butter, granola and if you have a cooler, sliced peppers, celery, carrots, diced cheese and hummus are all great as well.

This granola recipe is really easy to make and only requires pantry ingredients. If you’re about to leave town, chances are you may not have butter, eggs, milk, etc., so this is a great snack for traveling.

Honey Pecan Granola

2 cups whole rolled oats

1/2 cup flax seed

1 cup pecan pieces (or sliced almonds)

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup sunflower seed oil

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

Add the dry ingredients to a medium sized bowl. Mix the wet ingredients in a small bowl. Add the wet to the dry.

Bake on an ungreased sheet pan for 12 minutes. Take it out of the oven and mix. Back in the oven for another 12 minutes.

Once it is cool, you can add dried tart cherries and dark chocolate if you’d like.